Yurtiquette and other yurt facts

Here’s a few interesting tidbits about living the authentic yurt life as Mongolian people do, contributed by our friends at Groovy Yurts.

Everyone is always welcome in a yurt. To knock on the door would even be considered impolite! The custom is to call out “Tie up the dogs!” (More about visiting Mongolian yurts here.)

One enters the yurt with the right foot. It would bring bad luck to hit or walk on the door frame, since there’s a protective spirit living in it.

One walks clockwise in the yurt.

The door usually faces south.

Men are traditionally seated to the west, women to the east and special guests to the north. The north-facing wall of the yurt (opposite the door) is the most sacred area. (See more about the interior arrangement here.)

For Mongolians, the yurt symbolizes the universe. They believe the axis of the world runs down through the toono (central dome) to the centre of the earth.

The toono represents the interface between humans and the cosmos, being a passage to the divine world. The bagaanas (central posts) also connect human and divine, earth and sky.